geoffr Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Your '72 10 speed might be worth spending a few hundred dollars to get it "up to the task." My 74 Legano (Campagnolo, Reynolds 531, 23 lbs., etc.) is as good today as it was when I purchased it new 41 years ago. Similar case here, only problem is that my frame has deteriorated over the decades. But I love just looking at the thing, she's a beauty (Ritchey Road Logic low serial # hand made by Tom himself, gaudy but patriotic red-white-blue fade, set up long, low, and racy). Lightweight, hardtail 29-er with more comfy geometry and 'good enough' components should be right in the OP's budget and perfect for his needs. My road bike is also a Ritchey Road Logic, luckily, it is still in great condition. A great handling, comfortable ride. Steel is real. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Get something COMFORTABLE and a few gears. We have two wall hanger mountain bikes that feel like your hunched over a GSXR. Give me a cruiser with foam grips a basket and streamers and Im good all day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy bottom Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Shwinn Stingray, candy apple green, banana seat, and a sissy bar. If you really want to impress her use a cloths pin to clip a playing card to slap the spokes on the front wheel!!! That's a ride. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 My road bike is also a Ritchey Road Logic, luckily, it is still in great condition. Yeah, my bike is in tip top shape, it's MY frame, as in my creaky bones...still rip around on it a lot. It's a blast to ride, and so easy to cover lots of miles (across town and back, probably 8mi round trip, and a lunch break since my last post. Just another crappy day in Colorado. (Sarcasm font) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Lady friend wants me to bike ride with her AWESOME!!! My suggestion, let the bike shop do their job. Be specific on your goal. Consider the future (are you going to want to upgrade). Many bike shops these days offer "life time labor" warranty on their bikes. Find one! - this will save you much on headaches down the road. ...and since we are sharing pics My Carbon Fiber Stumpjumper... The object of the game, Ride as hard and fast as you possibly can, without wrecking. If you don't wreck at least once each outing, you are not pushing hard enough (just my motto) Ride on Bro... edit: that motto was from a time when I stood a much younger man LOL Edited March 15, 2015 by Matthews 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Used to ride old Cruiser's on the mountain trails with my wife. This was before we knew anything about Mountain Bikes. I'm talking a 1947 Royal with the springer front end. Made by Schwinn for Royal. The other bike was a Schwinn Cruiser that also had the springer front end. Bike shop emptied out to look at the old Schwinn. The heck with the Royal they were working on for me. Everyone had to drool over the old Schwinn. One speed on mountain trails. Solid steel frame. Heavy as all get out but still fun. Fat tires as they came from the factory. Not what you want for chasing your girl Friend though. Although she might wait for you just for the cool factor of the old bikes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Well since I have worked at high end bike shop I am going to disagree with the giant unless you get into the high end area. I put together the cheaper models and they are not that good. The lifetime maintenance thing around here is a joke to get a real service it will cost you upwards of a 100 bucks to do all the stuff correctly on a bike. As far as picking one the fit is the main thing but the shop has to know how to fit you. Most just hire kids to work there make sure the shop has ones who ride working there atleast. The guy making 8 bucks an hour does not care if you fit the bike. As far as fixing the older bike you can but it is not cheap to have it done if you can repair it yourself it is still depends on parts you can get. New bikes have modern parts that do not inter-change at all. In my experinc e stick with Trek Scott Raleigh Cannondale what it seems like you want is called a cross bike in a large frame a good bike shop will let you try out the bikes in parking lot. Rick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Well since I have worked at high end bike shop I am going to disagree with the giant unless you get into the high end area. I put together the cheaper models and they are not that good. In my experince stick with Trek You do realize that Giant makes many Trek bikes, especially cheaper ones, right? Some of them have been pretty obvious, nearly the same bike with different graphics and names. Here is even some pics of some Giant workers in the Giant factory in Giant uniforms, cranking out Trek bikes. https://www.flickr.com/photos/inmotionasia/sets/72157617186384395/ New bikes have modern parts that do not inter-change at all. If you're trying to put a 10 speed cassette on an old 7 speed bike then yeah maybe but otherwise I'm not sure what you're talking about. I just revived my old 20 year old mountain bike, getting an installing everything was easy. It's not nearly as cost effective than just buying a new bike but parts availability and fitting new parts on an old frame is a non-issue. Now, going back to 1972, I'm not sure what issues will come up, that is before I was born. Edited March 15, 2015 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Go ahead and try to find the old handle bar stem for an old bike pre around 1980 . Giant making trek well probably but if you put together the bikes the crap stands out more so under 500 dollars and the crap really comes out on the giants . As far as updating the old bike buy the time you buy a new derailleur and have it put on if it even will fit your bike your already into it for 200 bucks. Then your going to probably need cables and brake pads its just not worth it. But if you go to the 800 and above giants and treks or scotts or felts or etc they have much better parts much better Q/C in them... cause they go together in about half the time. But if the bike shop does not care about what goes out the door it does not matter the wheels will wobble the gears won't shift correctly most likely it will be wrong size and set up wrong for the rider. I worked on a lot of bikes bought at so called life time maint. shops......it looked like they never did anything to them and the shop I was at charged 100 for basic tune up but you get your monies worth at least. Oh also the lifetime shops do not take bike in right before you want to ride cause stories I have heard of customers getting bike back 3 weeks later and still not working right is pretty high. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I just revived my old 20 year old mountain bike the old stuff still works - here is one I brought back from the grave ('bout that era, 20 years old) for a buddy of mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Go ahead and try to find the old handle bar stem for an old bike pre around 1980 No problem at all. Several bike shops in my area keep a good stock of vintage parts and will repair older bikes, and cheaply. One shop only works on vintage models. I scored a nice Italian chrome moly framed road bike and fixed it with parts off the interweb. I've got $130 in the project and I love riding it. Cuts like a razor. Vintage parts can also be harvested from the Goodwill stores and the Salvation Army. Some police departments have annual bike auctions, mostly department store stuff and kids bikes, but an occasional gem can be found. Oh, and the place where I work has a complete CNC machine shop on-site, and can make any part for a bicycle - derailleur bushings, brake calipers or whatever. These old bikes will never die. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffr Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I suggest this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I wouldn't buy a bike based on the fact that they have lifetime free labor. Usually that really just means they will adjust the derailleurs for free. Well, they probably will do that, but you need to learn how to do that yourself anyway. If you take care of things labor is pretty cheap. I mean worst case you're out what, $15 in labor for swapping cables or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 the shop I was at charged 100 for basic tune up but you get your monies worth at least. I'm curious as to what all this included. I have a hard time believing that's both necessary and worth it across the board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Well it included complete wheel true off the bike.....all cables lubed correctly....clean and check chain for stretch.....check bottom bracket....check tightness of crank arms....check tightness of pedals......re-adjust brakes......re-lube seat post..... cleaned and lubed mechanical parts among other things. If you were regular customer and bought bike from there you got your bike back same day usually but if not got it back with in 3 days. As worth the cost the bikes we usually worked on were pro or almost pro riders and 1500 to 10,000 dollar bikes. Done by experienced riders and bike mechanics. CNC shop well I guess those parts must be free huh. I wonder who pays the 25 dollar an hour operator or who bought the machine ? With average rent at around 4000 a month for a space i'm not so sure those vintage bike guys stay in business for long. I did not get paid a lot but I got discounts on bikes and parts which most have a 60% mark up just to pay for overhead. If not for that I would have told the owner to screw himself. Same goes for tube amp overhauls try and get a guy to do it for 10 bucks an hour you get what you pay for I bet most of the ones arguing with me make more than 20 bucks an hour ....... sorry for even trying to give advice now last time I do that ...... a new mid priced derailleur on line going to cost you 135 bucks and at a shop a lot more then you will need chain breaker and a new chain oh and a new road chain about 30 bucks. Swapping cables 15 dollars probably fair but the brake cables 25 shift cables 25 . Most of the riders who came to the shop rode 50 to 200 a day wanted their bikes to work and work right and that's what they got from me. Believe me or not I do not care. Rick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Well, down here we ride this kind: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthews Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 SMH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Well it included complete wheel true off the bike.....all cables lubed correctly....clean and check chain for stretch.....check bottom bracket....check tightness of crank arms....check tightness of pedals......re-adjust brakes......re-lube seat post..... cleaned and lubed mechanical parts among other things. If you were regular customer and bought bike from there you got your bike back same day usually but if not got it back with in 3 days. As worth the cost the bikes we usually worked on were pro or almost pro riders and 1500 to 10,000 dollar bikes. Done by experienced riders and bike mechanics. I just thought we were talking about "basic" tune-ups for $379 bikes, not the white glove service for pro riders riding 200 miles a day on $10,000 bikes. Kind of surprised a pro rider wouldn't know that his pedals weren't tight or that his bottom bracket was going out though. Edited March 15, 2015 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 USNRET, on 15 Mar 2015 - 09:28 AM, said: Well, down here we ride this kind: I need to get one of these for my Wife. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryant0086 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I guess I should add we will be riding on road, that I'm 6'2" and old as dirt (66) if any of that matters. I know I'll need a large frame, just not sure if I want to lean over like on the 10 speed type handlebars. Just flip the handlebars over. The "racing" style bikes are actually great for older riders because of the light weight. The only real negative of the racing style bikes for older riders is the small seat. The small seat can hurt your butt. Bryant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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